8 Ways to Distribute Online Coupon Codes

(The article was previously named “5 Ways to Distribute Online Coupon Codes”.)

Discount coupon codes are one of the surest ways to raise popularity for a service, product or brand. Discounts (or special offers, as most vendors prefer to call them) are generally sought out by customers.

Here are eight effective ways to distribute online coupon codes for your small or medium-sized business. Customers can purchase the services or products by filling out your online order form and using the coupon code to get the discount.

1. Facebook

Use Static HTML: iframe tabs to add a welcome page to your Facebook presence. Welcome pages are meant to gather Likes, and visitors become fans a lot more eagerly when there is an incentive. The welcome page can have two versions: one for visitors that haven’t liked your page yet and one for those who have. The non-fan version can say “Like us to get a 25% discount coupon!” Once visitors press Like, they see the fan version of the page, which contains the coupon code, and the link to your order form.

2.Tweets

Twitter is an amazing way to spread the word about your product. You can link to an exclusive coupon directly from a tweet, or you could require a retweet or a follow in order to reveal the coupon code.

3.Blog posts

Announce special offer announced on your company blog. The post should contain the coupon code and a link to the order page. Don’t forget to include social sharing links to generate buzz around your promotion.

4. Newsletters

Send the coupon code via email to customers. The two main categories could be: loyal customers (with whom you want to strengthen the relationship) and new customers (whom you want to impress and engage). You may want to consider integrating your contact form with third party applications, like MailChimp or SalesForce, to gather leads. The newsletter is also a good channel to distribute your coupon code, but customers are more responsive nowadays to personalized and spontaneous communication.

5. Company website

Happy Hour on your website? Why not! Set up a pop-up message or any type of alert that will be on for that one (or more) happy hour(s). Use social buttons to make promotions viral and keep them fresh. Do some A/B testing to see which ones work best for your audience.

6. Printable coupons

Use printed coupons at the point of sale to share the discount code. If you have an offline business and want to create a better online image (which spreads a lot more quickly), attract customers online. Once a purchase is made through your online order form, the form can trigger a tweet (with Twitter integration), and customers are very likely to share the offer themselves through social media.

7. Mobile SMS

The great thing about SMS communication is that it issues an alert that is sure to grab the customer’s attention. Furthermore, the coupon remains available even if the customer experiences a lapse in mobile service. If your customer receives your coupon by text, you can be sure your promotion stays right at their fingertips.

8. Youtube Video

Video is a bit more involved than the other media, but in some cases video coupons can be a great fit. For example, you can tease at the beginning of a how-to video that there will be a coupon at the end. This not only compels the customer to watch the entire video, it helps you make yet another sale.

Some media lend themselves to certain types of promotions. For example, an offer of something free or high in value may require a little more input from the customer—for example, a number for SMS messages, an email signup, a follow. High-value promotions are less appropriate for print because they can be reproduced offline and you learn nothing about the customers using the copies. Be sure to create unique codes across media so that you can compare the performance of each!

Before distributing an online coupon code, you obviously need to create it and to build the online order form where customers will use it. This is easily done with 123ContactForm. It takes as little as a couple of minutes to set up the coupon codes and you can then move straight to distribution.